Root Will my plan work?

[FlyingHippo]

Hello androidforums!
I want to download CM 12 to my N5, but i want to be safe, very safe. If i dont want CM 12 i want to be able to go back exactly as my phone is atm. If i understood correctly, doing a full system backup u need to root your device, so i guess going back exactly as my phone is is impossible?
I havent rooted or anything to my N5. Here's my plan: Do a backup with ADB. Bootload my device then root it with Kingo Root. Get all apps etc back from my ADB backup. Download TWRP Manager and do a full system backup. Cut the TWRP folder out from my phone and post it in my computer. Download CM12.

 

[Mikestony]

Hello there and welcome FlyingHippo!
I've moved your thread into the Nexus5 root forum here.
For sure others here who know your device can help out

Cheers!!

 

[Brian706]

Unfortunately, when you unlock the bootloader (prior to rooting) it performs a factory reset on the device for security purposes. This means you will lose all of your apps and data. About the only app data you will still have is anything backed up by Google such as your contacts and possibly photos if you use that feature.

About the best you can do is connect your device to the PC and copy the contents of your internal storage to the PC so that you can transfer that data back later. Also, you can use apps such as SMS Backup & Restore and Helium - App Sync and Backup. Though without root, I don't think helium can truly back up your app data. I think it can only back up app data that is stored locally on the internal storage. Or as you said, you can also do an adb backup, but I find that it's easier to just copy my internal storage to the pc manually. Plus, I'm not sure if it will backup text messages and such?? Helium would probably be a lot cleaner interface to restore your apps.

Here's my plan: Do a backup with ADB. Bootload my device then root it with Kingo Root. Get all apps etc back from my ADB backup. Download TWRP Manager and do a full system backup. Cut the TWRP folder out from my phone and post it in my computer. Download CM12.

Your plan seems to be in order, though I think your custom recovery will come before actual root. Should look something like this:

-Backup everything you can
-Unlock Bootloader
-Install TWRP
-Make full img backup of device (nandroid backup)
-Root the device with method of your choice (manual method, kingo, wugfresh, etc...)
-Optionally make a backup here
-Restore any data/apps that you can
-Get everything setup the way you like it and make another nandroid backup before you mess with any advanced/system/root settings that might mess something up.

 

[FlyingHippo]

Unfortunately, when you unlock the bootloader (prior to rooting) it performs a factory reset on the device for security purposes. This means you will lose all of your apps and data. About the only app data you will still have is anything backed up by Google such as your contacts and possibly photos if you use that feature.

About the best you can do is connect your device to the PC and copy the contents of your internal storage to the PC so that you can transfer that data back later. Also, you can use apps such as SMS Backup & Restore and Helium - App Sync and Backup. Though without root, I don't think helium can truly back up your app data. I think it can only back up app data that is stored locally on the internal storage. Or as you said, you can also do an adb backup, but I find that it's easier to just copy my internal storage to the pc manually. Plus, I'm not sure if it will backup text messages and such?? Helium would probably be a lot cleaner interface to restore your apps.


Your plan seems to be in order, though I think your custom recovery will come before actual root. Should look something like this:

-Backup everything you can
-Unlock Bootloader
-Install TWRP
-Make full img backup of device (nandroid backup)
-Root the device with method of your choice (manual method, kingo, wugfresh, etc...)
-Optionally make a backup here
-Restore any data/apps that you can
-Get everything setup the way you like it and make another nandroid backup before you mess with any advanced/system/root settings that might mess something up.

But u cant do a nandroid backup before u rooted right?

 

[EarlyMon]

But u cant do a nandroid backup before u rooted right?

Not right. That's why Brian listed the order he did.

Root is administrator access and it comes by adding a library under the hood, in /system, and an app to manage other apps requesting root access.

In order to install anything to /system, you need to be able to set /system to read-write access. Right now, your /system is locked to read-only unless your name is Google.

You get the ability to set /system to read-write with an unlocked bootloader.

An unlocked bootloader also allows you to install a custom recovery - TWRP - that in turn will allow to open /system and install the files that give you root. (Srsly, just install SuperSU and don't fart around with exploits like Kingo that you don't need - you have a Nexus.)

And before you do that or any mod to your system, ever, you stop and make a nandroid backup first.

The adb pull you're looking to try is for the /data partition. I believe you'll probably find that as a user, not root, it's not going to work because you lack read access to most of it.

If you could get it to work, the restore is going to fail because you're going to obliterate file ownership and permissions.

You really want to pipe a tar, not do an adb pull, to preserve the file attributes.

That can get very tricky.

Fortunately, there's a tool that does basically, almost exactly that. It's called a nandroid backup.

You can adb pull your personal storage - music, pictures - or just drag and drop your storage to your pc. An adb pull can hang on user files where a drag and drop won't.

 

[EarlyMon]

Could you try Kingo root, install BusyBox, login as root via the su command, and make a tar of /data instead?

Yes.

I won't guarantee that the tar would restore on a running system and the attempt will make a nandroid backup of your existing stable system impossible. You'll only be able to nandroid the modified system - if you ever need stock back, you'll have to find another way.

I wouldn't do it that way but it's your phone ok.

 

[argedion]

Honestly I agree with Early what do you need kingo for? This is a nexus one of the easiest devices to root manually. The problem here is you want the Nandroid before you can actually get it.

My best advice is to to backup the contents of your INTERNAL MEMORY to your computer. If you just want to try to keep the apps and their data you could try Helium to do a backup. But getting an image of /data is probably not going to happen before an unlock.